Delta Commissioner explores the Wadden region
Delta Commissioner Wim Kuijken made a working visit to the Wadden region on 25 and 26 August.
News item | 27-08-2010
The government commissioner for the Delta Programme reserved two days to become more familiar with the Wadden Region sub-programme. On Tuesday 24 August, Mr Kuijken had already been in Harlingen to – with a great deal of attention – open the new sea retaining wall, an event that in fact marked the close of the Delta Plan.
The Delta Commissioner left the Frisian port town for Ameland where he officially launched the sand suppletion project along the coast at Nes-Noord. There were also presentations and discussions on, among other things, sand balance and dynamic coastal management. Wim Kuijken also visited the Fûgelpôlle, a special natural area outside the dikes that is managed by the State Agency for Nature Conservation and Forestry Management.
Day two of the visit began in Holwerd. Here, on the mainland, the Delta Commissioner saw a presentation on the role of salt marshes, transitional zones between land and salty or brackish water dominated by salt tolerant herbaceous plants. In addition to protection against water, nature development also plays an important role here.
After Holwerd, Mr Kuijken visited the Lauwersoog in Groningen. Here, attention was focused on the possibilities for recreational development. In addition, Lauwersoog is important to the Delta Programme because this is where ships sail from Lauwers Lake to the Wadden Sea. It is also the place where the northeast of the Netherlands allows its surplus rainwater to flow into the Wadden Sea via a sluice.
The Eemshaven too could count on the attention of the Delta Commissioner: this is an important area for the Netherlands given that 30 percent of our national energy supply comes from here. In the town of Delfzijl, Mr Kuijken was brought up to date with the Marconi project, a local project that combines strengthening dikes with strengthening the town.